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The story of Jesús Alberto Cabral López's long journey home reaches far beyond his mother's tears. It is at once ordinary, in that similar stories play out thousands of times in our borderlands, and extraordinary. It is the story of a poor son's ambition, a desert's toll and the meticulous detective work of people in two nations to untangle a mystery.
PART 1 - "I'VE CALLED TO TELL YOU THE DECEASED COULD BE JESÚS."
Jesús Alberto Cabral López loved to dance, especially to Norteña music. The night before he left Villa Juárez, Sonora, for the United States, the 22-year old gathered with friends, dancing to the bouncy swing of his favorite songs. He called his mother from the border a few days later — just before he slipped to the other side. "Don't worry, you just ask God to help me across," he assured her. "I'll call you when I get to California." That was May 12, 2006. It was the last time Guadalupe López heard from her son. Read more »»
PART 2 - DNA TEST'S SLOW PATH OFTEN HOLDS LAST HOPE FOR A NAME
For Jesús' family, the long-awaited determination ends nearly 15 months of searching and sadness. They're among the lucky ones: The Medical Examiner's Office says nearly one-third of the 1,137 bodies found in the desert near Tucson in the past seven years remain unidentified. Read more »»
PART 3 - "WE HAVE HIM. AT LEAST WE CAN BRING HIM FLOWERS."
Jesús is coming home. He isn't returning to the arms of the mother who has prayed for his safe return since he left for the United States on May 8, 2006. Or coming to visit the father who had such dreams that his son would have an easier life north of the border. Jesús is coming home in a coffin. Read more »»
AUDIO COMMENTARY
Reporter Mariana Alvarado Avalos and photographer Dean Knuth talk about how their three-part series 'Death in the Desert: Jesus' Long Journey Home'. In English »» En Español »»
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Multimedia
Jesus' funeral
Death in the Desert: Gallery one
Death in the Desert: Gallery two
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